pretty good little early season storms for BB. about 8 inches total of 2 systems. They are blowing pretty good . fri,sat,sun,monday only 1 chair and one run but still fun.I would expect several new runs opening soon.

I was looking at the callender for Snow Summit. Interesting to see they are having an early ups and breakfeast Dec 26th. Only difference looks like they want to charge $25 dollars weather you have a season pass or not. Pretty lame MM.Who knows if they get enough takers maybe they will start charging at MM as well.Someone correct me if I`m wrong which I hope i am but I doubt it.BTW lots more runs and lifts open.

Whether you are a season pass holder or have a lift ticket for the day, you can get exclusive access to Chair 2, our high-speed quad, 60 minutes earlier than the public on Monday, December 26 for an additional $25.

Then, take a break and join us for a breakfast buffet on us!

Please note that this deal can be purchased at any open ticket window during operating hours on Monday, December 26 starting at 7:00AM. This event is being held only at Snow Summit.

_________________“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ― John Muir

Anyone ridden locally in the last couple days? Curious how much things soften in the afternoons right now. Was planning on going to Mammoth Sun/Mon, but with the rain I'm thinking of bagging it and just riding Snow Summit on Monday (we're going to June the following weekend anyway).

The day got off to a rocky start when Caltrans had the road closed just past the Santa Clara Divide, saying it "might open sometime today." Only Waterman staff were allowed through. I ended up midway back in a 1/2 mile line of cars:

They finally opened the road at 10 am, 3 hours behind schedule, with R1 chain controls despite most of the road being snow-free. Waterman's main lot filled immediately, and I managed to squeeze into one of the last spots in the lower overflow lot. The line of traffic turned into a line at the ticket window, which turned into a line for Chair 1.

But the face was looking good:

Unfortunately, 60-70 mph winds had stripped many areas to an icy crust from when snow levels rose to ~8000' on Sunday, so conditions in the morning varied from a firm crust to thick wind-affected snow. Unlike last year, though, the crust was thin enough to break through on a hard turn, and there was enough new snow that the ice was patchy, rather than covering the entire face.

1st run down Bros Alley:

I moved to Chair 2 to avoid the line at 1, which was growing up the fire road, hoping that conditions on the face would improve with more skier traffic. Chair 3, which they dug out by noon, had similar conditions to 2, but with no groomed runs. Both were mostly the ice layer, with a few lines of windblown snow if you looked in the right places:

Top of chair 2:

Newcomb's Delight:

Ram's Revenge on Chair 3:

I stopped in for lunch, where the double cheeseburger was on point, as usual:

By this time, the face had been transformed. There was enough traffic to mix the ice with new snow, making the entire face rideable. Coverage was excellent, turning all but the largest rocks into terrain features. Event the waterfall at the bottom of 1 was skiable. Even better, the new snow never saw a melt-freeze cycle, and temperatures barely reached 40 degrees, maintaining winter packed powder conditions almost everywhere.

Chair 1 Liftline:

Robin's Run:

They have a solid 3-4 foot base and mostly skier-packed powder conditions, which should hold up well on the face. Over all, this was probably the best day of packed-powder riding I've had in SoCal.

_________________“Oh, yeah, you are going to get nailed.” - Meteorologist Dawn Fishler

"Fishing season starts soon and the ice should be gone and the snow should recede. If it hasn’t, just go skiing." - Dave McCoy

Unfortunately, 60-70 mph winds had stripped many areas to an icy crust from when snow levels rose to ~8000' on Sunday, so conditions in the morning varied from a firm crust to thick wind-affected snow. Unlike last year, though, the crust was thin enough to break through on a hard turn, and there was enough new snow that the ice was patchy, rather than covering the entire face. ...

I moved to Chair 2 to avoid the line at 1, which was growing up the fire road, hoping that conditions on the face would improve with more skier traffic. Chair 3, which they dug out by noon, had similar conditions to 2, but with no groomed runs. Both were mostly the ice layer, with a few lines of windblown snow if you looked in the right places: ...

They have a solid 3-4 foot base and mostly skier-packed powder conditions, which should hold up well on the face. Over all, this was probably the best day of packed-powder riding I've had in SoCal.